Peel pumpkin, remove insides and chop into 5cm-size pieces
In a large baking tray, add pumpkin, oil and salt
Coat well and bake for 40 minutes
Shake the tray and bake for a remaining 30 minutes
Reserve ½ cup, allow to cool and store remaining quantity in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
Whilst pumpkin is baking, bring freekeh and ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons water to the boil in a saucepan on med-high heat
Lower heat, cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes or until water is cooked off and freekeh is tender, set aside
Whilst freekeh is cooking, toast pecans in a dry frypan for a few minutes
Chop roughly and set aside
Finely chop mint and slice avocado
Once cooked combine all ingredients, coat well with oil and season to taste
Notes
The kind of lunch that you can add your favourite protein to and it goes with almost anything. You could even serve this as a side for dinner.
TOP TIP – prep the freekeh and pumpkin at the start of the week and make this delicious lunch in minutes! Or for even faster results – use cracked freekeh which cooks in 10-15 minutes.
FREEKEH - made from green wheat that goes through a roasting process in its production. The roasted wheat experiences thrashing and sun drying, which is how its Arabic name originated (farik meaning rubbed) and the most common end result is a cracked version which tastes somewhat nutty. It has at least four times as much fibre as other comparable grains, is low-GI and is in the same superfood group as quinoa and farro.
Recipe by Nadia Felsch at https://nadiafelsch.com/2016/04/15/freekeh-pomegranate-herb-salad/